


Haunter

by ClillaryHinton



Category: Ghostbusters (2016)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-24
Updated: 2016-09-24
Packaged: 2018-08-17 03:27:33
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,060
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8128658
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ClillaryHinton/pseuds/ClillaryHinton
Summary: Not only ghosts can haunt you. Not-so-slow-burn Holtzbert.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to the lovely Holly for betaing and geeking out about all things GB and Holtzbert. This is all your fault.

Erin had volunteered to come dumpster diving, as it was a beautiful winter day and she craved fresh air. Holtzmann had found some cool engine parts that looked ex aviation and was really excited about it. It was contagious, so Erin offered to help her haul them back to the fire station. The fact that she got to spend extra time with Holtzmann was more appealing than Erin liked to admit.

The parts were in a terrible state, covered in old grease and smoke. But they seemed fairly intact and Holtzmann looked like Christmas had come unexpectedly.

"Careful, you'll get that stuff all over."

Holtzmann looked perfectly innocent, right before she smeared Erin's cheek with old engine grease.

"Stop it!"

Erin swatted her hand away. But she wasn't really mad. She found it hard to be mad at Holtzmann, for some reason. She had tried, but it usually ended with her laughing.

As they were loading the parts into a carefully plastic covered Ecto10, after being stared down by Patty before they left, Erin heard steps.

"Gilbert? Is that you? Wow, it's been ages."

She turned around, thinking it might be someone who recognized her as a ghostbuster.

Holtzmann froze when she saw Erin's face.

"Still playing ghost hunter? Didn't you become a... chem teacher or something? Apparently not. I'm with JPMorgan Chase these days. A real job isn't for everyone, I guess."

The man laughed. But it wasn't a friendly sound. It was meant to underline his words with contempt.

Holtzmann pulled her goggles up and stared at the visitor unabashedly.

"It’s _Dr._ Gilbert. Particle physics, so no, not 'chemteacher'."

"Still weirdo friends, I see."

"The word you're looking for is 'awesome'."

Holtzmann leaned back against the Ecto10 and pointed lazily.

"New tie?"

"It is, actually."

He smugly touched the gaudy silk Hermès.

"It's terrible."

She smiled broadly. It wasn't a friendly smile.

His jaw muscles clenched.

"Dr. Gilbert? Am I on crack, or is this guy awful?"

She made a shooing motion.

"Run along. People with twice your IQ have important stuff to do.”

He considered challenging her, but worthy opponents weren't part of the plan.

"See yah, ghost girl."

As he walked away, Erin was surprised to discover those words still cut like a knife coming from that mouth.

"Who was that?"

Holtzmann looked at her with raised eyebrows.

Erin might as well have answered "the devil" for what he had been to her. 

On the way home, the muscles of Holtzmann's jaw became tenser as Erin told her the story. Her knuckles were white, squeezing the steering wheel.

***

Holtzmann started working on something almost as soon as they reached the fire house. Erin assumed it had to do with the aviation parts. But after a few days, she discovered that they lay abandoned on a piece of dirty tarp in a corner of Holtzmann's lab. She asked some questions, but the answers were vague, almost evasive. Maybe it was a surprise. It wasn't the first time Holtzmann had worked on something in secret and then presented her with something spectacular, dangerous and beautiful, with a proud look on her face.

Then Holtzmann started disappearing. Erin saw her leave the fire house around midnight, but the next morning she shrugged it off and said she had an errand to run. Erin was just about to ask what kind of errand you would run at midnight, but then she remembered she was talking to Holtzmann and let it go.

The following night, Erin couldn't sleep. She went to Holtzmann's lab on the off chance that she was still up, but she wasn't even there. When she finally fell asleep, it was restless and fretful. She dreamed that Holtzmann left them and she tried to chase after her. A voice in the background chanted _ghostgirlghostgirlgostgirl_ over and over.

The next morning, she was exhausted. She ran into Holtzmann in the kitchen. She looked like she hadn't slept at all. She poured Erin coffee and she wondered how she must look if an obviously exhausted Holtzmann thought she needed emergency coffee. Then she hugged her, which wasn’t rare. But the hug felt strange. Holtzmann held her so close, like she was trying to protect her from something. Holtzmann didn't always use her words, but she could speak volumes.

***

At 2 am, Jillian Holtzmann looked up at the warehouse conversion walls, a heavy bag of gadgets over her shoulder. She had been there the previous night for a short stakeout and she was pretty sure how she wanted to play it. The old house was her friend. The ragged facade had none of the soulless, smooth, minimalist surfaces of the insides. It was all angles and pits. No one would notice a few additions to an asymmetric structure like this.  
She attached a safety line to the rusty service ladder, just in case. Holtzmann was well aware that she was reckless and dove in head first most of the time. But she liked to think there was a difference between reckless and plain stupid. Besides, if she had to fall off a roof, she was damned if she was going to do it before her work was done.  
The climb went smoothly, even though it was high enough for a thrill seeker to avoid looking down. The lights were out and she took great care not to make noise as she approached the darkened skylight. She pulled out her equipment and began the quiet and satisfying job of testing it all to make sure it had the desired effect.

Holtzmann lost track of time, but the elements reminded her gradually. She blinked, trying to make her eyes stop tearing up from the icy wind. Her fingers were so cold that her hands hardly worked anymore. But she couldn't wear anything thicker than half gloves, the machinery had sensitive controls. She pulled her leather jacket and woollen scarf tighter and poured some more coffee from the thermos. She pressed her icy fingers against the comforting heat to warm them up and smiled into the wind. This was some of her best work to date.

***

A week later, a man walked into the fire station. Patty didn't recognize him and she was about to say that they didn't really do guided tours or walk-ins. But then she saw the look on his face. Like he had seen a ghost. The circles under his eyes were almost purple. His hair looked like it hadn't been washed in days. There was a stain on his no-longer crisp white shirt. Everything about him said fear and exhaustion.

He wasn't the only one, she discovered as she glanced at Erin, standing next to her. Patty wasn't sure if it was fear or anger, or a mixture of both. Holtzmann came down the stairs with a loud racket, but noticed the tension in the room and moved silently over to Erin. Patty noticed how she stood just a little in front of her, arms defensively crossed.

"Gilbert? I mean... Dr. Gilbert. Please help me?"

Abby walked out of her lab, all business. Busy removing the strange electronic headgear she had been trying, she didn't see the look on Erin's face.

"What kind of ghost are we talking about? Ghoul? Poltergeist? Standard apparition?"

"A ghost... girl."

He didn't look at Erin.

Erin smiled a brittle smile. Nothing changed around her eyes.

"Looks like we have an assignment. Gear up, people!"

Abby and Patty went to suit up, but Holtzmann lingered. She looked at Erin.

"You don't have to. I can just bring extra grenades."

"I'm FINE. I'm a ghostbuster, don't baby me."

Erin regretted it immediately when she saw the look on Holtzmann's face. Hurting Holtzmann felt like kicking a puppy. The guilt plagued her almost as much as the dread of meeting him again, being in his home, as she geared up.

She claimed shotgun as the Ecto10 roared out of the fire station. She touched Holtzmann’s knee, careful to wait until they had slowed down at a traffic light so she wouldn't cause an accident while she was driving like a bat out of hell.

"I'm sorry."

The look she got from Holtzmann was so full of warmth and affection that Erin's sense of dread almost vanished.

When they arrived, Holtzmann asked Erin to stand outside and keep watch while she checked something, she didn't specify what. Erin felt a little annoyed since she assumed Holtzmann was trying to protect her again, but she swallowed her pride and went outside.

Holtzmann beckoned to Patty and Abby to come closer. She took a deep breath. If Abby had seen that look on someone else's face, she would have read it as guilt. But this was Holtzmann, she didn't do guilty. She didn't do most of the crap that other people did.

"What if I told you that there's no ghost?"

"What do you mean? Look at the poor guy's face, Holtz. He's obviously seen something."

"'Something' being the operative word here."

Patty lost her patience.

"OK, spit it OUT, Holtzy!"

"There's no ghost."

"And you know this because…"

"Because I may or may not have made that thing he saw."

"Made? What do you mean 'made'?"

"Well… There's a machine. Not exactly hologram, but similar, it's actually a pretty interesting..."

"Are you INSANE?"

"Yes, obviously. But that's not the point. There's an explanation and…"

"NOT A GOOD ONE!"

Holtzmann tried to stop Patty from going off when the client showed up. Abby cut him off at the door.

"Sir? It's really not safe in here, you need to stay outside the building."

"Can't I stay and watch? To make sure you get rid of it?"

"Sir, please, we're professionals, we have to ask you to step outside, for you own safety."

Patty gently but assertively ushered him outside.

"Well, that's it. We're gonna have to pretend to bust some ghosts now, so we can act like we removed whatever he thought he saw."

"Not Holtzmann. Holtzmann is going to spend her time actually removing the cause of the problem. Isn't that right, Jillian?"

Abby hadn't called her that since she was possessed. Holtzmann wasn't afraid of anything. Except maybe Abby, when she used her christian name. She nodded, knowing when the fight was over. She dumped her pack in the apartment to make the climb up the wall easier.

Patty rolled her eyes and went into the kitchen. She pulled some pots out of a cupboard and started banging them.

"GO BACK TO HELL, GHOST!!"

Abby knocked a chair over, taking care to make a lot of noise.

"TAKE THAT, CLASS THREE APPARITION!!

She looked at Patty and shook her head.

"Well, that's the dumbest I've felt in a long time."

"Yup, me too."

"Guys? What are we doing?"

Erin had walked in, with raised eyebrows when she found... nothing. No ghost, no grenades, no ecto. Just a pair of sheepish looking ghostbusters.

"Where's the ghost? And where is Holtz?"

"Holtz is on the roof."

"That's dangerous! It's really high. And she shouldn't go after a ghost on her own, I thought we'd decided that wasn't safe?"

Abby went over and took her hands.

"There's no ghost."

"What do you mean there's not ghost? It was an obvious class three when he described it?"

"Erin, can you trust me when I say everything is fine? Well, mostly fine. And we'll explain everything when we get back to the firehouse."

"But…"

Holtzmann stuck her head in through the window, upside down.

"Hold your ponies, it's all good now."

"Really, Holtz? All good?"

Patty was muttering under her breath. A bewildered Erin looked from one to the other, her face a question mark.

Abby stared her down.

"Was the roof contraption it?"

"I may or may not have hacked his computer a little bit."

"God, Holtzmann. To do what?"

"Make a crying noise when he started it. But I can disable that from the fire house."

"Tell me you didn't use our ip-address?"

"Am I an amateur?"

"Sorry, that was fair. Of course you didn't. But Holtz: we'll have to talk about this when we get back."

***

Back at the firehouse, Abby practically shoved Holtzmann down on a chair.

"I need to know everything. Every single detail, starting with what kind of ghost it was. Or wasn't, as it were."

"It was a girl. A girl crying."

Patty broke in.

"A baby?"

"More like… Fourth grade."

"Just crying?"

"No."

"Holtzmann, come on. This is important."

"She was holding a book."

"What kind of book?"

Holtzmann took a deep breath.

"Pieces of a book. Ripped. About famous hauntings."

She didn't look at Erin. She just heard a brief, sharp intake of breath.

Patty's eyebrows shot up as she realised.

"Erin? You sent this dude young Erin as a ghost? Why on earth would you do a thing like that?"

Abby interrupted.

"You know you can never tell anyone about this, right? If people think we stage hauntings to make them call us, we're done. The people who called us fakes will claim they were right all along."

"I was going to stop after a few days, didn't think the guy would have to balls to call us. My bad."

"You've removed every piece of equipment, right?"

Holtzmann nodded.

"No trace?"

She shook her head.

Abby looked at her sternly.

"Jillian Holtzmann, if you tell anyone outside of the Ghostbusters about this, I will haunt you myself, personally. Is that clear?"

Holtzmann nodded again.

"Not even Kevin. OK?"

"I'm sorry, I need to…"

Erin's voice sounded funny. She didn't look at them as she got up and walked out with her head down. Holtzmann looked like she wanted to run after her, but she sat back down.

"Why Erin, Holtz?"

"I just wanted him to walk in her shoes for a while. She's this wonderful, accomplished person. Most people wouldn't be after what he did."

Abby's eyes widened.

"Wait… What was this guy's name?"

"Aaron Bukowski."

"Holtz. You big, beautiful idiot. I love you."

Abby kissed the crown of Holtzmann's head.

"Not telling anyone still goes, OK? And you can't do it again."

"Y'all are acting crazier than usual. What am I missing here?"

"Aaron Bukowski was Erin's biggest bully. That guy basically put her into therapy singlehandedly, with a little help from the not-so-friendly ghosts of neighbours past."

"Holtzmann, you scare me."

Then Patty's face softened.

"And you're a great friend."

"Erin doesn't seem to think so."

"Give her time. She has a lot of stuff to process."

Holtzmann nodded. But her shoulders were tense and her posture dejected as she walked up to her lab for some listless tinkering.

***

Close to midnight, Holtzmann sat on her bed in the darkness. She had wanted to go talk to Erin all night. But Abby had made a strong case for leaving her alone.

A silent shadow blocked the faint light of her doorway.

"You... haunted someone for me?"

Holtzmann didn't know what to answer. The previous conversation had established that beyond a doubt. Maybe it had been the wrong decision, but it had seemed right. And felt right. It had seemed like the only non-violent outlet for her fierce protectiveness of Erin.

"That's…"

Erin was crying now. Holtzmann could hear it in her voice, even if she couldn't see it in the near darkness of her room.

"Erin, I…"

She could feel her come over more than see her. Erin crouched down in front of her, grabbed the collar of her shirt and pressed her wet cheek against Holtzmann's. Her heart ached as she dried the tears on Erin's other cheek with the back of her hand.

"That's the most romantic thing I've ever heard.”

She looked up. Holtzmann was reeling from Erin's words. _Romantic..._

“Why would you do that...?"

"You know how I feel about you."

Erin pulled back and shook her head.

"I don't. But I know how _I_ feel right now."

Holtzmann was terrified of using Erin's emotional turmoil for her own purpose, but she had to know. She brushed her lips so softly against Erin's, it was more of a question mark than a kiss.

Erin had suspected that she might have feelings for Holtzmann, that there was something about the way she craved her company and hung onto her every word that went beyond friendship. Erin was fascinated by her, but that didn't mean she understood her. She'd had no idea what Holtzmann really thought of her, other than the obvious friendship and affection she had for her fellow ghostbusters.

But she had invented a machine and climbed a roof to haunt the man who had haunted her. She didn't know what to do with all the love and affection she felt for her now. She kissed her back, deeply. Her heart was racing. Why the hell hadn't she done this before? How could she have lived with Jillian Holtzmann without kissing her?

Holtzmann pulled her up from her crouching position and into her arms. Laying back on the tangled sheets, the thought occurred to her that for all intents and purposes, they were in bed together. Half an hour ago, they hadn't even kissed. They should stop. Take it slow. Talk about it. But she didn't want to. She wanted to use the bed for what it was intended for.

Holtzmann's t-shirt was only a t-shirt in the loosest sense of the word. So much of the fabric was cut away that Erin had immediate access to naked skin. She was shockingly soft to the touch. She made a little noise of pleasure, a contented murmur that drove Erin crazy as her hand travelled up her back. Holtzmann unbuttoned the first button of her shirt and pushed it off her shoulder. She kissed her way along her collarbone. Erin felt goose bumps form on her arms and sped up the process by impatiently unbuttoning the rest. She pulled at Holtzmann's t-shirt to make her take it off. Holtzmann looked at her for approval before snapping her bra off with an expertise that made Erin jealously wonder how many girls she had practised on. Holtzmann kissed the marks left by the straps and let it fall off her shoulders.

Erin hadn't been touched in so long she had almost forgotten what it was like. But being with Holtzmann felt different, and not just because she was a woman. She felt like she had already known what it would be like to touch her, somehow. How good it would feel. When she brushed her lips over her nipple, it was all it took for Erin to be wet and aching for her. How had she ever thought that this was just a friendship?

Holtzmann's hand stilled just before sliding her jeans down her hips.

"Tell me if I do something you don't like?"

"I trust you."

For the first time in her life, she said it to a lover and meant it. She felt like there was nothing she wouldn't like Holtzmann to do to her. Erin gave in and felt her body get warm and lazy under her curious hands. Impatient, reckless, even violent Holtzmann was a shockingly tender lover. She made her put her full weight down on top of her. Her flushed skin against Erin's made her feel warm on the inside as well as the outside. The weight on her was comforting. Holtzmann is comforting.

There was a slow throbbing in her belly, a restlessness in her limbs. She was being much louder than her normal, restrained self as Holtzmann brushed the wet fabric of her underwear. As her fingers slid under the cotton and touched her, she moaned into her neck and dug her fingers into her shoulders, probably too hard.

She had never shared Abby's love of husky men in hats. Or of husky men in general, for that matter. She was starting to wonder if she liked men at all, as she felt her own copious arousal on the inside of her thigh and her heart race almost uncomfortably as Holtzmann moved her fingers through her wetness. She had thought she had a weakness for pretty boys. Maybe it was pretty girls. Maybe the label wasn't important, as long as Holtzmann kept touching her. She knew her gorgeous face so well, it made no difference that the room was dark, she could still see her. How could Erin have assumed it was normal in a friendship to stare at someone as much as she had with Holtzmann?

She spread her legs and wrapped them around Holtzmann's waist to give her better access as they moved slowly against each other. Her slick, warm sex against her own made Erin tremble. Of course Holtzmann was a good lover, she was good at everything. But she was also kind, warm and selfless. And slightly crazy. A beautiful combination in a lover.

After a while, the slow motions became more than Erin could bare.

"More?"

Holtzmann slipped a hand between them and moved the pads of her fingers in tight, focused circles. Her lips closed around Erin's nipple and her tongue swirled around the stiff peak. It was all it took to bring her over the edge. It wasn't so strange. The last few months had been foreplay: she knew that now.

Erin caught her breath with her head resting on Holtzmann's chest, listening to her heartbeat. She kissed the burn scar on the inside of her wrist and her strong jawline. The blond curls tumbled down her shoulders as Erin pulled the pins out of her hair. Holtzmann squirmed a little against her thigh, making her press it against her sex to increase the friction.

"Holtzmann…? Tell me what to do?"

"Just move."

Hesitantly, she tried to repeat what had been done to her, just slightly distracted by the kissing. Holtzmann had only broken the initial kiss to remove Erin's clothes, or her own. Erin felt herself getting aroused again and tried to channel it into touching Holtzmann. She was so wet against her hand; she was almost friction free. Erin had always wondered what it was like for a man to be inside of a woman. She'd never know. But she knew now that men didn't appreciate it enough, as she pushed into Holtzmann after a whispered question and a quick, breathless answer.  
Erin loved how hot and tight and slick she was around her fingers. A streetlight flickered and came back to life outside the window, throwing a spear of pale light throught the room. Holtzmann looked so beautiful, lips slightly parted and groaning softly as Erin moved her hips against hers and fingers inside of her. She cupped a firm breast and Holtzmann's breath caught. Erin couldn't believe she had that power when she came, moaning into their kiss.

Erin didn't want her to move and made a disappointed noise when she rolled off and sprawled in the haphazard trademark Holtzmann manner next to her. She played with Erin's hand as she calmed her ragged breath.

She drew patterns on the white skin while the thoughts raced in her head. She couldn't even imagine being with anyone but Holtzmann now, being pressed naked against someone who didn't look and smell like her. Erin thought she had had great sex before. She hadn't. Love was one hell of an aphrodisiac.  
She tried to tell herself that it was scary and dangerous, that so much could go wrong with this situation. But then she saw Holtzmann on the roof with her ghost machine in her mind's eye and she had to make an effort not to cry again. She rolled over and put her head on her shoulder and buried her face in the crook of her neck. Holtzmann made a contented little noise.

"Holtz? When did you…?"

"Day one."

"Really?"

"Absolutely, ghost girl."

She touched her cheek and smiled.

Erin frowned.

"Why would you call me that?"

Holtzmann looked serious.

"We're going to reclaim it. Next time someone says it, you're going to think of me."

She cupped Erin's neck and kissed her so deeply that she forgot everything, except that she loved her.

***

The next morning, Erin woke up slowly, gradually, by someone's warm body against her back.

“Morning, ghost girl."

She smiled sleepily and wiggled back into Holtzmann’s comforting embrace


End file.
